


Date Night Anxities

by Jerge



Series: Date Night Series [2]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, F/F, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-03
Updated: 2016-11-03
Packaged: 2018-08-28 18:49:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8458945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jerge/pseuds/Jerge
Summary: Two’s company, three’s a crowd, and three couples is a party. Sloane doesn’t do too well in parties.





	

**Author's Note:**

> More of a focus on Sloane than a focus on couples, just a heads up!!

Being a part of The Bureau of Balance and subsequently Taako, Merle, and Magnus’ little friend group was definitely… interesting. Which really was saying a lot because her life was very interesting to begin with.

When the sash had been removed, with the help of Hurley and the boys of course to fight off the thrall that had entrenched her so tightly, Sloane and her partner had been invited to the moon base to become regulators.

It was a lot of work for what felt like relatively little to do once indoctrinated. But, she didn’t mind so much. Her life had been a set of tribulations to begin with and it wasn’t so bad to take a nice, long break.

Hurley, on the other hand, was a pent up ball of energy. She could barely stand doing nothing, always way more proactive of the two of them.

Sloane couldn’t say she minded too much. Without Hurley she definitely wouldn’t be there, nor would she ever leave her room honestly. The sash had really worn her out, changed the chemistry of her brain. Things were different than when they first met but Hurley kept her afloat during some of the bad times she found herself falling into.

It was Hurley’s idea that they do some late night sparing where they ended up meeting Killian and Carey. They were a sweet, fresh couple and Sloane had felt a sorta euphoria… a catharsis really, when Hurley and her had explained their story to them.

It was good to get it out and the two of them had been pretty great to them after that. They would sometimes bring them along their dates at the “Chug ‘n’ Squeeze” but Sloane didn’t really like the wine they had there nor the feeling of the clay one her hands once it started to dry.

Hurley was a sober individual and couldn’t really get into the festivities there but the dates were fun and it was absolutely a ball to watch Killian down carafe after carafe of wine while Carey goaded her on.

Hurley had been proactive with keeping up with people and when the boys had come back from their time away getting another relic, definitely looking worse for wear, she had invited them to join her and the others to a little gathering.

Merle had dropped out almost immediately, looking not too comfortable with such a large group of people.

Magnus, as well, didn’t seem to be in the spirits of a get together. Sloane had been observing him ever since their first time meeting. She had to admit that there was something about the other that really intrigued her. Much like how Hurley had sparked her interest, Magnus, too, with his ability to hit her… repeatedly, during her states of god-like power. Those really sparked something in her heart.

She was cautious to admit it but she had a fondness for the large man; considered him a friend after all the hard work him and the others had put in to get her back to the state she was in now.

She considered all three of the boys her friends, even just a little, but there was something about Magnus that made her feel almost maternal. A feeling that was definitely foreign to Sloane. She was not used to caring for others, only really finding herself caring for Hurley and that was for very obvious reasons. But with Magnus… she was almost worried.

Without the two “M”s of the trio, that left Taako who only seemed to agree on the condition that he was allowed to invite a friend that none of them had formally met.

Hurley agreed, eager to meet the mystery man, but Sloane felt apprehensive. She pushed the feeling aside, knowing her feelings were becoming less and less reliable, and considered the idea that they were essentially going on a double, maybe triple, date.

Her and Hurley, coupled with the Fangbattles, and Taako with his guest, whoever he was...

She laughed a little at the thought. Two’s company, three’s a crowd… what did that make six?

Hurley smiled at her and stepped over, resting her elbow on her shoulder.

Sloane looked up at her and gave her a half smile back, happy to see her.

“Better get ready, dinner starts in an hour.” she reminded, pulling herself off of Sloane. She walked back over towards the side of their shared room and threw open the closet. Inside was an assortment of clothes, mostly tailored to fit Sloane, but there were a few in there that were Hurley’s size.

Hurley was pretty persistent about not being held down by material possessions, so her choice of attire was very… minimal. She did, however, have a very nice suit that she wore during most of her formal occasions that was still in pretty good shape.

It suited her well, Sloane thought as she watched her change.

Hurley looked at her from over her shoulder and threw a raspberry at her, quickly dressing herself into a dress shirt and pants. As she was adjusting her belt, Sloane found herself standing without much thought, and ghosting her way over towards her.

She placed her hands on her partner’s hips and Hurley swung them back and forth a little, humming softly.

“You really should get ready,”

Sloane leaned forward and pressed her lips against the nap of Hurley’s neck, pressing her nose into Hurley’s short cut hair. “I will in a moment,” she murmured, closing her eyes. She felt Hurley’s body wave under her hands, smelled the cleanliness in her hair.

She stayed like for a long moment, basking in it, before Hurley shifted under her, shifting her weight.

She pulled away from Sloane but was back in a moment, turning to face her. She put her hands back into Sloane’s and looked up at her with a deep caring in her eyes.

They kissed softly before Hurley reminded her, again, to get ready.

Sloane parted from her after a second kiss with a nod and went to the closet, pulling out her two formal attires. The party was going to be something fancy, something at the best place in the whole base.

She looked between the two suits, tilting her head between the periwinkle one and the more standard, formal tuxedo that she owned.

She decided with the slightly less uptight periwinkle suit and got herself dressed, tucking her dress shirt into her pants before tightening the belt around her waist.

Sloane paused, looking down at the slim brown belt. She stayed like that, frozen on spot for a long moment while Hurley was busy in the bathroom brushing her teeth. She finally blinked hard, shifted herself away from the mirror, and looked away from the belt that she had cinched high on her waist.

She quickly combed through her hair and pulled it up into a high ponytail before tossing on the matching jacket that finished the look. Right as she was about to pull on some heels, Hurley stepped out of the bathroom and smiled wide at her.

“You look good!” she commented.

Sloane felt herself smile back at her, genuinely, and motioned for her to come over to her.

Hurley hurried on over and Sloane hugged her tightly, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

“If I look good, then you’re an actual goddess,” she commented back. As she pulled away, she could see Hurley’s face turn a bright cherry red.

They both laughed and got their shoes on, ready to head out to the restaurant.

\-----

It was decently crowded, considering the size of the population in the moon base, and when Sloane and Hurley had arrived, Killian and Carey were already seated, waiting.

They happily joined them, Carey complementing their outfits while Killian poured out some of the water that they were given in a long, slender glass.

“I wonder what Taako’s date is like,” Killian commented, watching as they seated themselves to the table. The four woman gave each other perplexed looks.

“Taako seems pretty hush-hush about his dates,” Hurley commented, “Any reason why? That you know of?”

Killian scratched her cheek and shrugged, turning to her wife. “You and Taako are pretty close, what do you know Carey?”

Carey gave a shrug as well, “Dunno, he just is. We did see him with that one guy at the Chug ‘n’ Squeeze though, remember? His name had a “kah” sound to it but I can’t remember what it was.”

Hurley leaned back in her chair and let out a small hum.

Sloane shrugged, waving her hand in the air a little, “Doesn’t matter, if he shows up we’ll find out,”

“If who shows up?”

“Oh!” Hurley gasped and turned herself around in her chair, looking at the approaching figures. “There you are!”

Taako smiled at them, tugging along a dark figure beside him. He nodded his head to the others in greeting.

His mysterious guest pulled the chair out for him, whereupon Taako took a seat with a curt smile and a sly look, before crossing one leg over the other and looking at the group of four once more.

“Ladies, this is my date for tonight, Kravitz,”

Sloane looked him over, feeling like she had seen the man somewhere before.

He was tall, as tall as her if she weren’t wearing heels, with a gaunt face and clear eyes. He had an impeccable posture too, back straight as a board, hands situated behind him as he looked between the five of them.

“Nice to meet you all,” he commented with a slight accent.

Hurley, beside her, smiled and propped her head against her hand, leaning into the table as she looked between the two men. “Pleasure to meet you Kravitz,”

The greetings made their rounds around the table until Sloane was the last one to have to speak.

She felt the words swell in her mouth like thick saliva and had to swallow them back down to get anywhere. She brought the words back up, working them over her tongue for a moment, before saying to him curtly, “Nice to have you here, Kravitz.”

He seated himself, looking less and less sure of himself as the table continued to stay quiet.

Finally, Hurley sparked up a topic of conversation and the women of the table started to speak, looking at Taako and Kravitz excitedly to invite them into the conversation.

As they spoke small topics, the conversation shifting every ten minutes or so, the waitress had come over, taken their orders, and set out to get them a starter bottle of wine and get their meals started.

“What do you do for work, Kravitz? I haven’t seen you around the bureau,” Hurley commented, taking a sip of her water.

Carey thanked the waitress for the bottle of wine and started to pour out some glasses, one for her wife and another for her. She looked at Sloane expectedly and started to pour her and Taako a glass.

“I don’t work here, no,” he replied, accepting the glass of wine that Carey had offered him with a small thank you, “I’m just here to visit Taako,”

“Interesting, didn’t think that they would allow outsiders to just freely explore the base,” Sloane commented.

Kravitz smiled and Taako smiled with him. “Let’s just say I probably shouldn’t be here,”

Carey laughed, taking a sip from her glass.

Killian was already halfway through her’s, definitely more capable of holding her alcohol compared to herself or Hurley. “Can never play by the rules, can you Taako?”

He flipped his bangs from his eyes, “Can’t say I know what you’re talking about,”

Sloane forced a smile as she watched the group laugh and be merry, feeling herself become more and more of an outsider.

Killian and Carey had their injokes, Carey and Taako seemed to be close friends as well, and Hurley was always really good at making herself comfortable in a crowd. But Sloane… she wasn’t made for big groups and six was definitely reaching her max in regards to comfort levels.

She didn’t know what to say, couldn’t find herself reacting fast enough to contribute. She just sat there, shoulders hunched, as she listened to the group interact. Even the newcomer, Kravitz, with his cockney accent and strange mannerisms was having an easier time than she was.

Sloane jumped a little as she felt a hand wrap around her’s and she glanced over, seeing that it was Hurley’s. A lifeline.

She tried to relax but found it hard to, even with her reassuring touch.

“Sloane,” Kravitz mentioned softly, his tone adrift in the crowd of people.

She looked at him, smiling weakly. “Yes?”

“I love your outfit, it’s very fitting,” he complimented, giving her a reassuring look.

She laughed softly, gently gripping back onto Hurley’s hand under the table. “Well, thank you. You look pretty dapper yourself. If you don’t mind me asking, have we met before?” she felt her confidence start to push forward, “I feel like we’ve met before,”

He laughed back, just as soft as her’s. A chuckle. “We haven’t, I don’t believe. But Hurley and I have met in the past.”

Hurley coughed up some water and looked at him with surprise. “Oh my gods, have we?” she spouted, “I’m so sorry, I must have forgotten?”

Kravitz laughed a little harder, “Don’t worry, we met during a time where I wouldn’t expect you to remember me.”

Taako was watching him carefully now, the smile that was on his face fading a little as a look of pure curiosity covered his long features.

The others at the table reflected that same look, curious to see what was going on between Kravitz and Hurley.

“I suppose it’s as good a time as any to admit that I work for The Raven Queen, guiding souls to the astral plane. I had seen your soul Hurley, after you had been infected by the silverpoint poison, dying, and I had gone to seek your soul. We had technically met as you were dying but…” He glanced at Sloane, smiling a little wider at her, “You were brought back before I could escort you,”

Sloane felt the tightness in her stomach double, the rope inside her tying itself into knot after knot. She knew that she had saved Hurley’s life, using the last bit of control she had over the sash… but being reminded of how close she was to losing Hurley was… painful, incredibly so.

Hurley on the other hand was looking at Sloane lovingly, a hand placed upon her own chest while the other still clutched Sloane’s.

“She saved you,” he commented and glanced at Taako who was looking very unsure of how to react.

Hurley smiled, “She sure did,”

Sloane felt the knots in her body turn to stones and she stood up suddenly, having to excuse herself for a moment. She slipped her hand out of Hurley’s and ghosted her way through the restaurant, making her way to the bathrooms.

Once inside, she seated herself down on one of the toilets and inhaled sharply. She placed her head into her hands and worried her lip. She knew it was supposed to be a nice comment, something to be romantic and draw them all closer but… she just felt guilty.

She didn’t save Hurley because she was the reason why Hurley needed saving. You can’t save someone from yourself…

She stayed there for a long moment, trying to compose herself. She wasn’t crying, which she supposed was an improvement, but she definitely didn’t feel strong enough to go back into the crowd, back to the party at the table.

After a long moment, she heard the door open, the padding of flats on the floor, and finally a knock on her stall.

“Just… give me a moment Hurley,” she commented, not bothering to lift her head.

“Uh, sorry if I’m disappointing you but,” definitely not Hurley.

She felt herself flush red in the face. She stood, opening the door, and peered up at the orc woman that stood before her.

Killian smiled weakly. “Just wanted to make sure you were okay,”

“I’m surprised Hurley isn’t here, to be honest with you,” she commented immediately. She had no idea why Hurley wouldn’t be the one to be there, she was always there to clean up Sloane’s messes.

“Told her to stay at the table,” Killian motioned for Sloane to step out of the stall and she complied. She placed a hesitant hand on her shoulder and Sloane felt her nerves spike again. After a second, she settled herself and felt a calmness wash over her.

It was nice to have someone besides Hurley show some care for her… admittedly, it had been a long time since she had interacted with anyone without Hurley by her side, let alone have physical contact with someone besides her partner.

“I’ll be okay,” she said, looking back up at Killian. She watched as the woman sniffled a little before looking back down at the floor, looking at her heels. “Just, you know, my sorry ass having a breakdown, like usual.”

“This happens to you often?” She asked, clearly concerned.

Sloane brushed off the concern with a forced chuckle, “It’s really not that big of an issue… just, the sash really took it out of me and stuff isn’t really working like it used to, that’s all. Sometimes I just need a little moment to myself. I’m alright,”

“Do you want me to go?” Killian asked, pulling her hand away from Sloane’s shoulder.

She frowned at the absence, feeling pretty pathetic again. After a moment of thought, she admitted, “No, it’s okay. You can stay.”

Killian nodded and leaned up against the counter sinks, looking at her curiously. “You said the sash took it out of you.”

She nodded.

“If I’m not mistaken, it’s been quite a while since we destroyed the sash and you’re still worn out? I know the thrall of the relics are strong but… well, there’s never been a person to survive the effects. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised it would cause a change in someone, even long after it’s control had been stopped.”

Sloane sat back down on the seat of the toilet and crossed her arms against her chest. She looked to the side.

“If you don’t mind me asking, do you think you’ll… ever… feel the way you felt before the relic?”

Sloane gulped hard and closed her eyes hard. Gods, what a question that was. She had thought about it so often herself, too. Would she ever go back to being the old Sloane? Would she ever be able to enjoy herself again without immediately being worn out? Would she be able to feel trust for others like she had before, like when she and Hurley had first met…

She didn’t know… no, that was a lie. She knew. She knew and the truth hurt too much to admit. She she squeezed a few tears from her eyes and shrugged, smiling and holding back and pained noise. “Can’t say I know,” she croaked.

Killian ran her hand through her hair and looked at her with concern. She finally stepped forward, knelt down, and placed a hand on her knee. “I’m sorry I asked that, I shouldn’t have…”

Sloane choked a little, finding it harder and harder to hold back the selection of tears that were pushing up against her eyes. She blinked them back before looking at the orc before her. She forced a smile before glancing away again.

“I don’t blame you for asking. I ask myself that constantly. How much rest do I need before things go back to the way they were before?” There was no real answer to the question because she knew there was no quantifiable amount. There was no way of going back to the way things were before.

“Do you want to go back to the table? I’m sure dinner is ready by now, maybe that’ll help you feel a bit better?” She suggested.

Sloane rubbed the skin under her eyes, wiping away the tears that had formed there. She concentrated hard and steadied herself. She nodded, standing up along with Killian.

Before leaving the restroom she fixed herself up in the mirror, dabbing her face with some cool water.

When they had gotten back to the table, the group was looking a little apprehensive but otherwise holding a solid conversation.

Kravitz was looking at Taako with a look of pure enjoyment as Taako recalled the first time they had meet Killian, telling Carey and Hurley how the trio of men had initially joined the bureau.

Hurley smiled wide at the sight of Sloane and shifted in her chair with excitement. “Hey! Glad you’re back! They just brought over the food.”

Sloane sat herself down, looking meaningfully over at Killian. She really did appreciate her coming to check up on her and she’d have to thank her at an appropriate time. But now, as she looked down at her plate, she was ready to dig in and enjoy the company of her friends.

She felt Hurley take a hold of her hand again and she gave a reassuring squeeze back to the halfling, smiling at her with as much pleasure as she could muster. She loved looking at her partner and loved the support she showed her.

She looked back down at her food, stomach grumbling. Maybe the night could be salvaged...

After all, the night was still young and there was still several bottles of wine waiting for them to enjoy.


End file.
